ANT100Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Homo Erectus, Homo Habilis, Homo Ergaster

• School: UTSG
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANT100Y1
• Professor: Sherry Fukuzawa

Document Summary

Primates to hominins: contenders had traits related to standing upright. Hominins into the genus homo increase in cranial capacity (brain size) and reduction in dentition. Louis leykey discovered homo habilis in olduvai george, norther tanzania. The cranial capacity was higher than the australopithecus + the head was more round + there was no crest. 2 reasons why this is imp 1. homo = this indiv belongs to the same genus as modern humans. Suggests that this species was the earliest/first tool maker: homo habilis has now been found in both e and s africa, australopithecus boisei and homo habilis lived tog around 1. 8 mya. Boisiai had a plant diet so it wasn"t competing with habilis who used tools to get meat. Cranial anatomy early homo in comparison to australopithecines. Primary trend to remember as a hallmark: encephalization, more rounded expanded cranial vault, a thinner wall to the bones, no crest, reduction in the snout, reduction in dentition.